This is a discussion on Toyota to launch the Etios and Liva facelift. EDIT : Launched (details on Page 4) within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; So the first of the 'hot' hatches lined up for 2013 arrives (Liva TRD). Would love to read the Team-BHP ...

So the first of the 'hot' hatches lined up for 2013 arrives (Liva TRD). Would love to read the Team-BHP report on it. Though not very high on outright power, it should have great driveability. I just wish the instrument cluster was where it belongs. i.e. behind the steering wheel.
So Liva TRD - check. Now waiting for the Polo TSI / GTD and the Punto Abarth.

Visited Nippon Toyota, Kalamassery and saw the new face lift Etios in flesh.

What has changed ?

1) Toyota has taken a serious effort to give the Etios interiors a decent ambiance. Saw 2 potential customers in there and both of them were happy with the interiors.

I still remember the first time, I visited Toyota showroom in 2011 to see the Etios. Even though, I was very happy with the design elements in the car ( the practicality and ergonomics ), the people around me were unimpressed mentioning that Toyota used cheap plastics and things like that.

2) The NVH has come down certainly thanks to

The Hydraulic mounts

More dampening materials being used

3) A worthy music player

4) Better Options for the customers. ( Read variants )

J/JD is now a reality and it comes with a power steering as well.

V/VD is now available with airbags as optional

The new Etios interiors ( view from rear seat ). Looks classier, and removes a major excuse for anyone to think of any other car.
Changes -

Beige / Brown / Wooden finish instead of Black / Grey / Silver

Height Adjustable Seats

Adjustable headrests

Bluetooth music system with better aesthetics and USB/Aux positioned on the player itself

Rear seat view
To be honest, I liked the looks and felt like a huge improvement from the grey interiors. ( even though it will surely be difficult to maintain than a grey interior )

A close-up of the new head rests. Notice the travel

The wooden gear knobs looks really classy and blends well with the beige/brown interors. Don't think, this would be a good option for the older Etios. On older Etios, the silver looks best.

View from driver seat. Much better than the old Etios. Speedometer aesthetics still have scope for improvement. The white font on black background is certainly an improvement. But, the blue lighting effects should have been provided inside the light instead of painting it on the speedo. That looks bad. I asked the SA why this wasn't done the right way, and he answered that Toyota doesn't make major design changes on face lift to ensure compatibility with older models. Yeah, we are talking about the Toyota life cycle of a product.
The stereo comes with Bluetooth, Aux in and USB ( all on the stereo instead of another cable needed for this ). This is a welcome improvement

The wooden finish on the arm rests

The new ORVMs. Looks stylish ( at the cost of lesser visibility compared to the old model )

The new ORVM with indicators - view from outside.

The chrome ORVMs ( optional ) on the Liva

View of the new Liva from the back side.
Notice the new Diesel stickets on the fuel lid and the new tail lamps

The padding on boot. Does it improve noise insulation ? I'm not sure.

The new hydraulic engine mounts ( compared to the rubber mounts used earlier ). Helps reduce vibrations from the engine - especially on the Petrol Etios @ idle and engine start.

The new noise dampening material added inside the engine bay. The new Etios is heavier by 10 kgs. The increase in weight could be due to more dampening materials used. Not 100% sure though

Other highlights

4 mm improvement in ground clearance. This is a welcome improvement. Even though, the older model had adequate ground clearance, when the vehicle gets fully loaded, it sags a bit compromising on the ground clearance.

J/JD is a reality now and it comes with power steering as well!

V/VD is available with and without the safety pack.

The G/GD with security pack comes in beige interiors whereas the one without safety pack comes with mat black interiors

The sales person mentioned that the plastic quality is the same and mentioned that even on the old Etios, it has good quality plastics. But, for some reason, people start saying better quality plastics as soon as the colour combination got changed. Regardless, good that Toyota did the right thing to change the wrong notion inside potential customers.

The 2013 Etios will be having 60 accessories from Toyota. Sales person mentioned that the full list will be ready by today evening

The height adjustment of driver seat on the Etios provides 50% more travel than that in the Swift. ( as mentioned by the sales person )

To Do

Video Review of the new Etios/Liva ( upload in progress. It's taking time )

Video comparing the NVH of the old and new Etios ( need to do some editing )

I wish Toyota had taken the opportunity and added an automatic variant as well, Brio is having its time in the sun with no worthwhile competition. I wish manufacturers also think of a diesel auto hatch, even if its price lands it in sedan category. That's an open field today- the first one in will skim the cream of the market. Sadly, there aren't even rumours of any such variant that I know of.

I agree with you. With updated interiors it is definitely on our radar but only if it comes with automatic transmission option. Our replacement for i10 Auto is due next year.

No, Liva comes in JD, GD, GD SP, and TRD only
For the Etios, earlier the variants from V onwards had ABS/EBD Airbags by default. Now, customers can chose whether they need the safety pack or not. Good option for the price conscious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sups

Can the NVH improvements be fitted into the existing cars?

Logically, it should be possible. But, it's better that we wait for the full list of NVH improvements made by Toyota on the new model, analyze the cost vs utility and then take a call on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sups

Has the seats got some extra cushion?

Did not find much difference especially the rear seats.
For the front seats, yes, there is a bit more cushioning. But, I prefer a stiffer seat because that provides better back support for long drives. Have driven the old Etios for 750 + kms on a day without back strain. So, if at all, I change the current seats on my Etios, it will only be after proper testing of the new ones. My cousin might buy a new Liva within a few months. So, I do have a chance to test it out.

So have to wait till the next gen for the instrument cluster to be in front of the driver.
But am waiting wiht bated breath to read the official TD report of the 90bhp Etios LIVA TRD. Will be a sure pocket rocket, but a more practical/economical thing would have been the diesel Corolla Altis's VGT added to the Etios/Liva diesel engines.

Man both the liva and etios seem a whole lot better.
Especially liked the new dashboard colour and the liva taillamps looks brilliant now . Way to go Toyota.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carb

1. Yes, the NVH is much better now. The diesel having improved better than the petrol variants.
2. The seats come with laminated upholstery, with better cushioning.
3. The plastic quality of interiors have improved quite well. The entire feel of the plastics is better now.
4. The audio unit comes with bluetooth connectivity on the top variants. And NO - It doesnt have a touchscreen interface.
5. And the driver's seat height adjustment has a good stroke, actually makes a noteworthy difference.
6. As for outer rear view mirrors, the top end variants get the side indicators - Be it petrol or diesel. (Please get your facts right before calling a manufacturer 'stupid')

By the way what's with all the "bashing" without knowing how good the changes are, For your kind info most of the changes made are to address the complaints mentioned by the existing customers. So as bhpian carb put it get your facts straight before calling the manufacturer 'stupid'.

The sound was recorded using the same video camera from the same position with the windows rolled up. Inorder to reproduce the same, ensure that you don't change the volume of the speakers midway through the video. Keep it at a high volume from the start and compare the sounds of both the models

NVH Observations

NVH has certainly come down

When you rev the engine, there is a karkar sound on the old model. On the new one, it's very subtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by DicKy

So have to wait till the next gen for the instrument cluster to be in front of the driver.

Even though, we'll always find it difficult to digest the position of the speedo, it has a few practical advantages.

The steering tilt doesn't block the view of the speedo. I tried driving a Fiesta recently. After I adjusted the steering tilt to my comfortable position for long drives, the steering completely blocked the speedo to such an extent that the speedo was useless

It's easier to glimpse at the speedo while driving, the change in angle required for your eyes is much less. It's just that it takes a couple of weeks for the brain to get used to the new position.

Even if you miss a warning light, your co-passenger will ping you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

A Big thanks to you. Etios now certainly appears in my list of cars to consider for an upgrade.

Looking forward to more updates and a drive report to explain if there is any noticeable difference( Other than the NVH and low GC, i feel previous Etios is very well engineered car)

Glad to be of help to you. The Etios is certainly a well engineered car and is undoubtedly the Diesel car with the cheapest maintenance cost by a long margin. Every 10,000 kms, you pay 2,000 to 3,000 and that's it. Compare it with the Maruti and Hyundai and you will understand the difference.

The only car that I felt was better than the Etios ( for me ) in that price range is the Ertiga because it combines utility, practicality with aesthetics. But the high maintenance cost of the Ertiga ( I remember seeing 9,900 bill for 20,000 service of an Ertiga ) combined with the new aesthetically pleasing Etios has again tilted my current favorite vehicle in this price range back to Etios.

I had done an analysis some time back on why the Etios is so cheap to maintain. Here is what I came up with.

To Do

Test drive review of NVH. I'll be getting a chance to test drive tomorrow. Today, they had permission only to start the engine.

The detailed specs for Toyota Etios 2013 facelift, got it out from their brochure. So while all the goodies are said above already, please make a informed judgement on what is available in which variant. There are quite a few permutation combinations they have made available for standard and Opt (Optional) features.

Amalji, nice work there on evaluating the various aspects of facelift and the videos too.

The detailed specs for Toyota Etios 2013 facelift, got it out from their brochure. So while all the goodies are said above already, please make a informed judgement on what is available in which variant. There are quite a few permutation combinations they have made available for standard and Opt (Optional) features.

Amazing! Now the ground clearance is just 2mm less than Innova?!! That makes it an ideal car for bad roads.

Add to that the stiffer suspension which has reduced the bouncy ride and eliminated the famous thud sound (as per the feedback from the owners having gone through it, mine will be going through it soon at the end of the month). However, do not let the 2mm less than Innova give you idea of its capabilities to match Innova's ride qualities. Innova is a different animal altogether.

It was already and is definitely a fantastic ride no matter what its deficiencies and a well engineered car at that, providing huge comfort as well as utility both in and out of city. Still the negatives marred it badly and Toyota is just trying to lure market again with added goodies.

It should be noted that the dealerships had started giving out premium feel vinyl beige interior finishes long back at a whopping cost of 30-35k, but which did not aid it.

So even now, people should keep eyes open and realize what value the goodies bring it to the already existing car which remains as it is underneath (even the plastics are same as per Amalji's evaluation and seems like the cost of doing up to premium feel have been now inbuilt into the car cost), and take an informed decision than just get swept away by the feel good factors.

Some may feel there is unnecessary bashing but there are both +ves and -ves being brought out by owners, take Amalji's example, to keep prospective customers well informed and only to help others take proper decision. Those who have gone through it, know what is Toyota and what is its extent when it comes to upping the game level, which in my sincere opinion is not much. So those who thinking about it, go for it based upon what is its core as a car includes build, driving pleasure, ride, handling, comfort, utility etc and not just on the the look and feel basis.